encyclopediafandomcom-20200222-history
SpongeBob SquarePants
}} SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. The series chronicles the adventures and endeavors of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom. The series' popularity has made it a media franchise, as well as the highest rated series to ever air on Nickelodeon, and the most distributed property of Viacom Media Networks. As of late 2017, the media franchise has generated $13 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon. Many of the ideas for the series originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled The Intertidal Zone, which Hillenburg created in 1989. He began developing SpongeBob SquarePants into a television series in 1996 upon the cancellation of Rocko's Modern Life, and turned to Tom Kenny, who had worked with him on that series, to voice the title character. SpongeBob was originally going to be named SpongeBoy, and the series was to be called SpongeBoy Ahoy!, but both of these were changed, as the name was already trademarked. Nickelodeon held a preview for the series in the United States on May 1, 1999, following the television airing of the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. The series officially premiered on July 17, 1999. It has received worldwide critical acclaim since its premiere and gained enormous popularity by its second season. A feature film, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, was released in theaters on November 19, 2004, and a sequel was released on February 6, 2015. In 2018, the series began airing its twelfth season. The series has won a variety of awards, including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, four Emmy Awards, 16 Kids' Choice Awards, and two BAFTA Children's Awards. Despite its widespread popularity, the series has been involved in several public controversies, including one centered on speculation over SpongeBob's intended sexual orientation. In 2011, a newly described species of fungus, Spongiforma squarepantsii, was named after the cartoon's title character. A Broadway musical based on the series opened in 2017 to critical acclaim. On February 14, 2019, it was announced that a SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off is in development. Past seasons were previously available in the United States on Netflix, but are now available through Amazon Prime Video, with a limited amount for free with select public library cards on Hoopla.https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/viacom-teams-hoopla-local-library-free-streaming/ Many episodes are also available through Nickelodeon's website, on demand, and app. New episodes were previously available three weeks after their first broadcast airing on Hulu, but this has been migrated to Nickelodeon's website and platform.https://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/spongebob-and-others-come-to-hulu/ Premise Characters The series revolves around its title character and his various friends. SpongeBob SquarePants is an energetic and optimistic sea sponge who physically resembles a rectangular kitchen sponge. He lives in a submerged pineapple with his pet snail Gary (who meows like a cat) and has a childlike enthusiasm for life - which carries over to his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob's favorite pastimes include "jellyfishing" (which involves catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar to butterfly catching) and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes. Broadcast Episodes References External links * SpongeBob SquarePants on IMDb * Category:1990s American animated television series Category:1990s American comedy television series Category:1990s Nickelodeon shows Category:1999 American television series debuts Category:2000s American animated television series Category:2000s American comedy television series Category:2000s Nickelodeon shows Category:2010s American animated television series Category:2010s American comedy television series Category:2010s Nickelodeon shows Category:American children's animated comedy television series Category:Animated children's television sitcoms Category:English-language television programs Category:Television franchises Category:American surreal comedy television series Category:Nicktoons Category:Television programs adapted into films Category:Television programs adapted into plays Category:Television programs adapted into video games Category:Television programs adapted into comics Category:Surreal comedy television series Category:American animated television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters Category:American television series with live action and animation Category:Underwater civilizations in fiction Category:Television series about friendship Category:Underwater fiction